TWI450566B - Methods for establishing voice communication - Google Patents

Description

Method for establishing voice communication

The present invention relates to call abuse avoidance for pay-per-call services.

The World Wide Web makes it easier for consumers and retailers to connect with each other. Consumers can use search engines and keyword searches to find the retailers of the goods and services they need. Websites and other online research tools allow consumers to filter the results to identify interested retailers. Retailers can use sponsored searches or purchase-based marketing to enable target consumers to identify their products and services.

Despite the vast amount of information available on the Internet, many consumers prefer to have a direct conversation at the retailer's premises to confirm details or get additional information and complete a transaction. While the traditional Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) is still a major mode of communication, the use of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is becoming increasingly popular.

VoIP technology allows users to use a broadband Internet connection to replace the general telephone line in the PSTN to make calls. Some services that utilize VoIP can only allow users to use VoIP to talk to other people. However, many services also allow users to talk to anyone with a phone number, including regional, long distance, mobile, and international phone numbers. While some services are only available for one computer or a special VoIP phone, other services allow the use of a conventional phone through an adapter.

To encourage the use of VoIP, service providers have tried to find ways to make VoIP more convenient and efficient. For example, some VoIP providers propose technologies that identify possible phone numbers in Internet content, which can alert a phone number found in a web page and associate it with a hyperlink that allows a user to be eye-catching The reminder number initiates a call.

Online advertising has also evolved to use VoIP. For example, an advertiser can provide a hyperlink to one of the retailer's phone numbers, and the keystroke can initiate a call to the retailer in a model known as Point-to-Point (C2C). In addition, the retailer may purchase a service utilizing one of the keyword advertising (PPC) models, wherein the retailer may bill the retailer each time a customer clicks on the advertising link. Similarly, since the consumer may want to avoid the cost of making a phone call, the retailer can purchase a pay-free phone number and thus pay for the consumer's incoming call.

However, this can lead to a possible problem, because the spammer can make a lot of calls to the retailer and abuse the system, either independently or in one part of a computerized dial-up design, or worse, possibly by a competition. Deliberate disruption of specific retailers.

The present invention facilitates the use of a VoIP application (or other communication system) to initiate a call using one of a user interface, which is a web interface user and, in the preferred case, goods and/or A call between one of the retailers. When the user taps the highlighted phone number, the phone number associated with the hyperlink can be provided to the communication application to assist in making a call. However, before the call is connected, the user is also required to provide a callback number to bridge the call, and the abuse criteria associated with the phone number can be evaluated. If the abuse criterion is met, the call will not be reached.

In a specific embodiment, a first abuse criterion calculates the number of callbacks that the user did not respond to. If the number exceeds some preset limit, the user can be restricted from connecting to the call. For example, if the user does not respond to the number of callbacks three times, the user may be limited to a set time interval, for example, 30 minutes. If the abuse pattern persists, for example 24 hours, a longer or permanent restriction can be made. This limit can be recorded in one of the "blacklists" of communication system maintenance.

In another specific embodiment, a second abuse criterion can count the number of times the same target phone number has been called. If the number exceeds some preset limit, a limit can be imposed and the call will not be reached. A limit can be imposed on the phone number or target phone number of the web interface user. Or, if the number exceeds certain preset limits for a specified period of time, the user can be restricted from connecting to the call. For example, if the user attempts to dial the same retailer repeatedly, for example, if 30 calls are made within 3 minutes, the user may be restricted for a certain period of time, for example, 10 minutes. If the abuse pattern persists, for example 24 hours, a longer or permanent restriction can be made.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The object of the summary is to present a simplified description of a selected concept of the embodiments described in further detail below. The summary is not intended to identify key features or main functions of the subject matter of the patent application, and should not be used to assist in determining the scope of the subject matter of the patent application.

The present invention describes the use of a VoIP application to initiate a call by a web interface user. In one embodiment, a web page includes a call hyperlink that, when invoked by a user, initiates a process to dial a phone number associated with the hyperlink. Ask the user to provide one of the phone numbers he/she wants to use to call back. If the telephone number provided by the user is not on a restricted list that prohibits a round-trip call with the number, the call can be connected by bridging the user's telephone number with the telephone number associated with the call hyperlink. .

Advantageously, the abuse criteria can be established and evaluated before the call is connected to avoid malicious and abusive strategies, including prank calls or spam calls. If the abuse criterion is met, the call will not be connected. In addition, restrictions can be placed on the abuse of the caller's phone number to prevent the caller from making additional calls during a certain period of time. Or, you can limit the target phone number. An abuse criterion can track the number of times a phone number provided by a user of a web interface does not respond to a callback. Since it is strange to provide a phone number and then fail to respond when the system calls back to bridge the call, the user's phone number is restricted if the criteria are met. Another abuse criterion can track multiple dialing of the same phone number in a short period of time. If the criteria are met, the user's phone number or destination phone number can be restricted. These criteria can be designed to create multiple restriction levels if the user is identified as an abuser. For example, a first restriction may be a finite period of time, a second restriction level may be a longer period of time, and a third restriction level may be permanent.

1 is a general block diagram illustrating a specific embodiment of a system for providing communication (e.g., VoIP) in a network in which computing device 10 and a network 12 are connected as an Internet. The computing device 10 can be any suitable computing device including a personal computer, a notebook computer, a handheld device, a mobile phone, and the like. The computing device 10 includes suitable software and/or hardware to allow communication in the Internet 12. For example, computing device 10 can include a VoIP software application that can communicate over a network interface.

FIG. 1 also illustrates the computing device 14 and interface 16 connected to the Internet 12. Interface 16 is also coupled to telephone network 18. The computing device 14 can be any type of computing device that is capable of communicating with other computing devices. The telephone network 18 is a conventional public switched telephone network (PSTN). The interface 16 includes hardware that provides an interface between the old telephone network 18 and the data network of the Internet 12. For example, interface 16 can be one or more computers that can receive VoIP communications over the Internet 12 and communicate those communications to the telephone network 18, as well as voice communications from the telephone network 18 to the Internet. 12 VoIP communication. It is envisioned that a user of computing device 10 can utilize VoIP technology to make a call over telephone network 18 to another user on computing device 14, or to a user of a conventional, wireless, or mobile phone. In other embodiments, the user can make a call using a standard telephone having one of the adapters instead of the computing device 10.

FIG. 2 illustrates an embodiment of a suitable general computing environment 100 that can be used to implement certain elements illustrated in FIG. For example, computing system 100 can be implemented to implement user computing device 10, computing device 14, or interface 16. It should be noted that computing system 100 is only one embodiment of a suitable computing environment and is not intended to suggest any limitation as to the scope of use or functionality of the techniques described herein. The computing system 100 should also not be construed as having any dependency or requirement relating to any one or combination of elements set forth in the exemplary operating environment 100.

The techniques described herein can operate in a variety of general purpose or special purpose computing system environments or configurations. Embodiments of conventional computing systems, environments, and/or configurations suitable for use include, but are not limited to, personal computers, server computers, handheld or laptop devices, personal digital assistants, telephones (wired, wireless, or Mobile), multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based systems, set-top boxes, programmable consumer electronics, network PCs, minicomputers, host computers, dispersions including any of the above systems or devices The computing environment, and similar.

The system can be described in the general context of computer-executable instructions, such as a computer-executed program module. In general, program modules include routines, applications, objects, components, data structures, etc., which can perform specific tasks or implement specific abstract data types. The system can also be implemented in a decentralized computing environment where tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are coupled through a communications network. In a distributed computing environment, the program modules can be located in the local and remote computer storage media, including memory storage devices.

Referring to Figure 2, an exemplary computing system includes a general purpose computer 110. Computer 110 components can include, but are not limited to, a processing unit 120 (which can include multiple processors), a system memory 130, and a system bus 121 that couples various system components, including system memory, to processing unit 120. The system bus bar 121 can be any of a variety of bus bar structure types, including a memory bus or memory card, a peripheral bus bar, and a regional bus bar that utilize any of a variety of bus bar architectures. By way of illustration and not limitation, the architecture includes industry standard architecture (ISA) bus, micro channel architecture (MCA) bus, extended ISA (EISA) bus, video electronic standards association (VESA) area bus, and peripheral components The interconnect (PCI) bus is also known as the Mezzanine bus.

Computer 110 typically includes a variety of computer readable media. The computer readable medium can be any available media that is accessible to the computer 110 and includes both volatile and non-volatile media, and removable and non-removable media. By way of illustration and not limitation, computer readable media may include at least computer storage media and communication media. Computer storage media includes volatile and non-volatile, removable and non-removable media, which can be implemented in any method or technology, such as computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other materials. Computer storage media includes, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory, or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile audio and video (DVD), or other optical storage discs, magnetic tape, magnetic tape, A magnetic disk storage, or other magnetic storage device, or any other medium that can be used to store the desired information and that is accessible to the computer 110. The communication medium usually implements a computer renewable command, a data structure, a program module, or other information of a frequency modulated data signal, such as a carrier wave or other transmission mechanism, including any information delivery medium. The term "frequency modulated data signal" means a signal that is set or changed by one of the methods, such as encoding information in the signal. By way of illustration and not limitation, communication media includes wired media, such as a wired network or direct cable connection, and wireless media such as sound waves, radio frequency, infrared, and other wireless media. The range of computer readable media should include any combination of the above media.

The system memory 130 includes computer storage media in the form of volatile and/or non-volatile memory, such as a serial only memory (ROM) 131, and a random access memory (RAM) 132. A basic input/output system 133 (BIOS) is typically stored in ROM 131, which has a basic routine for communicating information between components during, for example, the powering up of computer 110. RAM 132 typically carries data and/or program modules that are immediately accessible to processing unit 120 or are being processed by processing unit 120. By way of illustration and not limitation, FIG. 2 illustrates an operating system 134, an application 135, other program modules 136, and program data 137.

Computer 110 may also include other removable/non-removable, volatile/non-volatile computer storage media. By way of example only, Figure 2 illustrates a hard disk drive 141 that can read or write non-removable, non-volatile magnetic media; a disk drive 151 that can be read or written as a removable , a non-volatile disk 152; and an optical disk drive 155 that can read or write a removable, non-volatile optical disk 156, such as a CD ROM or other optical medium. Other removable/non-removable, volatile/non-volatile computer storage media that may be used in this exemplary operating environment include, but are not limited to, magnetic tape, magnetic tape, flash memory cards, digital versatile audio and video discs, Digital video tape, solid state RAM, solid state ROM, and similar. The hard disk drive 141 is typically connected to the system bus bar 121 via a non-removable memory interface, such as interface 140, and the disk drive 151 and the optical disk drive 155 are typically connected to the system bus via a removable memory interface, such as interface 150. 121.

The disk drive and related computer storage media discussed and illustrated in FIG. 2 are provided for the computer 110 to store computer readable commands, data structures, program modules, and other materials. For example, in FIG. 1, the hard disk drive 141 can store the operating system 144, the application program 145, the other program modules 146, and the program data 147 to program the processor(s) to perform the methods described herein. . It should be noted that these components may be the same or different from operating system 134, application 135, other programming modules 136, and program data 137. The operating system 144, the application program 145, the other program modules 146, and the program data 147 are referred to herein by different numbers to at least clarify that they are different copies. A user can input commands and information to the computer 110 via an input device such as a keyboard 162, a pointing device 161, commonly referred to as a mouse, trackball, or trackpad. Other input devices (not shown here) may include a microphone, joystick, game pad, satellite dish, scanner, or the like. These and other input devices are typically coupled to the processing unit 120 via a user input interface 160 coupled to the system bus, but may be connected via other interfaces and busbar structures, such as a parallel port, game port, or a general purpose Sequence bus (USB). A screen 191 or other type of display device can also be connected to the system busbar 121 via an interface, such as video interface 190. In addition to the screen, the computer, such as the computing device 110, can also include other peripheral output devices, such as a microphone 197 and a printer 196, which can be connected using an input peripheral interface 194.

The computer 110 can operate in a networked environment, using logic to connect to one or more remote computers, such as a remote computer 180. The remote computer 180 can be a personal computer, a server, a router, a network personal computer, a pair of devices, or other common network nodes, although in FIG. 2, only one memory storage device 181 is illustrated. The remote computer typically includes a plurality or all of the elements described above with respect to computer 110. The logical connections shown in Figure 2 include a local area network (LAN) 171 and a wide area network (WAN) 173, but may also include other networks. Such a networked environment is common in office spaces, in-house computer networks, intranets, and the Internet. In one embodiment, the computing device 10 of FIG. 1 is implemented by the computing device 110, and the computing device 14 is implemented by the remote computer 180.

When used in a LAN networked environment, the computer 110 is connected to the LAN 171 via a network interface or adapter card 170. When used in a WAN environment, the computer 110 typically includes a modem 172 or other means of establishing a connection through the WAN 173, such as the Internet. The modem 172 can be either built-in or external and can be coupled to the system bus 121 via a user input interface 160, or other suitable mechanism. In a networked environment, the program modules shown in computer 110 or portions thereof may be stored in the remote memory storage device. By way of illustration and not limitation, FIG. 2 illustrates that remote application 185 is located on memory device 181. It can be appreciated that the network connections shown here are exemplary and other methods of establishing a communication connection between computers can be utilized.

A specific embodiment of the system is directed to a particular embodiment in which a web interface user initiates a call through a hyperlink on a web page. In this particular embodiment, the user is a consumer and intends to talk to a retailer, although can talk to a person or any other suitable telephone number. Hyperlink is a function of a point-and-click service, which is provided by a service provider, which can be an enterprise service provider, such as MSN. Yahoo AOL , or other online service providers.

Referring to Figure 3, a typical computer-based voice communication system is illustrated in detail. In this embodiment, the web interface user can utilize the computing device 10, which includes a client application 10a, such as a web browser, and a VoIP application 10b. It can be understood that the client application 10a can be another type of client application, including, for example, an instant messaging (IM) client incorporating VoIP capabilities. In one embodiment, the web interface user wants to initiate a call to the target phone 20, which is coupled to the standard PSTN network 18 and is accessible through the interface 16. The target phone 20 can be any type of standard inland communication, wireless, or mobile phone device, and can belong to a single body or a retailer, for example. In another embodiment, the target phone may also be a web interface, wherein the computing device 14 may have a client application 14a, such as a web browser and a VoIP application 14b.

The web interface user utilizes the computing device 10 to access the global information web page via the browser 10a that establishes communication with the Internet 12, for example, to obtain and view a copy of the web page 50. Web page 50 can be any global information web page on which the phone number is listed, such as a retailer advertisement or a directory listing. In one embodiment, web page 50 may be a search result generated by a search engine for a search. Figure 4 illustrates an embodiment of a search results web page 50, which will be described in more detail below.

In some embodiments, web page 50 is generated by a web server 62, which is part of service provider 60. However, it will be appreciated that one of the web servers on which web page 50 is included may be located outside of and independent of service provider 60. Whether or not it is part of the web server 62, or only connected to the web server 62, the information on the web page 50 is typically updated by the database 64 located at the service provider 60 prior to being displayed on the web page 50.

In a specific embodiment, the service provider 60 implements a free point-to-point service in which the service provider can pay for a VoIP call between a web interface caller and a target phone number, in particular wherein the call is provided by the service. One of the ads displayed on a web page is launched.

In one embodiment, the retailer may register a unique identification code with a service provider 60, and the retailer(s) may display the unique identification code on a web page 50 and store the sum in the database 64. The unique identification code is compared to determine what (if any) the retailer has ordered the point-and-click service on the web page 50.

In one embodiment, the retailer may register a point-to-point service with the service provider 60, which may be part of the keyword advertisement subscription service described in the Background of the Invention. In one embodiment, a retailer may pay a price to a service provider for any VoIP call made for a retailer's ranking of advertisements on a web page. In a further embodiment, the retailer may only pay the service provider the cost of presenting its advertisement or refer to the call report material to assist the retailer in tracking the advertising campaign or performing the best staffing to better conform to the demand model, and All call costs are paid by the service provider.

When ordering a point-and-click service, each ordering retailer can be added to a "white list" which is stored in a secure repository 64 within the service provider 60. In an alternative embodiment, the whitelist may also be stored in a database other than the service provider. For each ordering retailer, the whitelist can store a unique identification code that can be mapped to the name of the retailer in the database, the phone number, and, in some embodiments, other identifiable retailer information. The whitelist can be kept up to date and updated in real time to ensure that when the whitelist places and verifies a retailer's advertisement, it contains up-to-date information about the retailer's and retailer's ordering point-to-point service.

The list of phones presented on web page 50 typically includes a graphical indicator to indicate the point-and-click functionality. For example, Figure 4 illustrates an exemplary search result displayed on web page 50 for a Japanese restaurant in Seattle, Washington. The search results include an ad list 90 and a larger page ad 92. As shown in FIG. 4, the on-demand service can be indicated by any of a variety of graphical indicators.

For example, in list 90a and larger page advertisements 92, a point-and-click service can be indicated using a bold reminder or a shaded phone number. An eye-catching reminder, a shadow, and/or a proprietary schema may be utilized as part of the list, such as the phonetic representation of the eye-catching reminder shown in the advertisement list 90b, to alternatively or additionally indicate the point-and-click functionality. Additionally or alternatively, the point-and-click functionality can be indicated by a "free call!!" word or other statement, as shown in ad list 90c. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that there are many other ways to visually indicate a point-and-click functionality to a potential caller in accordance with the present system.

In some embodiments, all of the phone numbers on web page 50 are provided with a point-and-click indicator. In other embodiments, the point-and-click indicator is activated only for the phone number from which the service was purchased. Thus, for example, as shown in FIG. 4, the advertiser of list 90d did not purchase the service and thus its list does not include any graphical indicators of a call hyperlink. However, a service provider may choose to provide a point-and-click functionality to all advertisers that are returned or otherwise provided on a web page 50, regardless of whether the advertiser is paying for the feature. In this particular embodiment, the service provider can still benefit from the retailer by, for example, providing usage community information about the ongoing VoIP call. As shown in FIG. 4, the point-and-click service can be associated with a toll-free number, as shown in larger page advertisement 92, and associated with a paid number, as shown in advertisement list 90.

The web interface user can access a web page 50 having a list of calls, such as a directory search result or a retailer advertisement, via a network such as the Internet 12. A web interface that wants to establish a call conversation with one of the phone numbers on the web page 50. The user can click on the web page 50 to display an advertisement, a phone number, and/or a picture including a point-and-click hyperlink and an associated indicator.

The web page 50 includes a call hyperlink 84 that allows the user to make a VoIP call from a web page or application and allows a computer to call and a computer to talk to the computer. The computer-to-phone call is sent by the computer 10 and terminates at the phone 20, which can be a fixed line or wireless phone, or an action or satellite phone. Computer to PC calls include voice, audio, and optical text conversations. Such a call is sent by a PC 10 and also terminates, for example, at a PC 14. Thus, computing device 14 may additionally or alternatively have VoIP capabilities through VoIP application 14b. The target address in a call hyperlink may include a phone number, a contact information (eg, in an address book), a computer name (such as John Doe PC), or an IP address (such as 124.38.110.25).

The call hyperlink is a known function provided by the service provider and thus need not be detailed here. For example, the service provider 60 can have a call management service 70, such as Windows Live (http://get.live.com), which can be used to implement call hyperlinks and related functions as well as the filtering functions described below. In addition, the call management service 70 includes a list administrator 72 that can implement a screening function to evaluate abuse criteria and coordinate the whitelists in the database 64 with the names of the phone numbers stored on the blacklist.

Figure 5 is a high level flow diagram illustrating a specific embodiment of processing using one of the talk hyperlinks. At step 200, a code for a web page or other interface is created. At step 202, one or more call hyperlinks are added to the code. At step 204, the code is spread. In one embodiment, the code can be distributed over the Internet 12 when the user browses an appropriate website. In other embodiments, the encoding is part of an application that is distributed over the Internet, retailer, or other conduit. At step 206, a user can access the code. For example, a user can browse a website and download one or more web pages or launch an application. In step 208, the user can select by tapping on a web page or one of the call hyperlinks on the file. For example, a website may include a web page having a list of certain restaurants, as shown in FIG. 4, wherein the list includes a call hyperlink linked by an invitation to "free call!". The keystroke call hyperlink can enable the database 64 to identify and retrieve the target phone number associated with the talk hyperlink in step 210.

In some VoIP embodiments, the keystroke hyperlink can initiate a VoIP call conversation directly. However, in this particular embodiment, for security reasons, the phone number on the keystroke web page 50 (step 208) does not directly initiate a VoIP call conversation, even if the target number is identified in step 210. Otherwise, the user may hold the list of call hyperlinks to make a VoIP call with one of the recipients outside the target phone number using the displayed link.

Thus, at step 212, the web interface user can be presented with a pop-up screen that can request the user to request a callback number in response to the call hyperlink selected in step 208 and the target identified to the system in step 210. number. When the user's callback telephone number is entered, both the user's callback telephone number and the destination telephone number are compared with the restriction list stored in the database 64. Therefore, at step 214, the user's phone number is compared to a "blacklist" of the restricted number of the database 64. If the user's phone number belongs to the blacklist, the call will not be reached in step 216, and the user will receive an error message in step 218. Similarly, at step 220, the target phone number associated with the hyperlink is also compared to a "Do Not Call" list stored in the repository 64. If the target phone number belongs to the call list, the call will not be reached in step 216 and the user will receive an error message in step 218.

If either phone number is not restricted, then at step 222, a predefined first abuse criterion is evaluated. The first abuse criterion can be implemented as one or more software filters, as further detailed in Figure 6 below. However, in general, the first abuse criterion can track the abuse form of the user (talker) and can impose this limit when the abuse form exceeds a predefined limit. The first abuse criterion can also track excessive calls to a target number, even if it is not from a single caller number. This restriction can be imposed on the user's phone number, or the target phone number, depending on the nature of the abuse.

If the first abuse criterion is not met, then at step 224, the user can be dialed back with the phone number identified at step 212. If the user should return the callback in step 226, the target number can be dialed in step 228. If the target number is answered in step 230, then in step 232 the system can bridge the two numbers and turn the call on.

If the first abuse criterion is met, then at step 234, a limit may be imposed on either of the user's phone number or the target phone number as the nature of the abuse differs, and an error message is generated in step 236.

In step 226, if the user has not returned a callback, then at step 238, a predefined second abuse criterion can be evaluated. The second abuse criterion can also be implemented as one or more software filters, as further detailed in Figure 7 below. However, in general, the second abuse criterion can track the multiple failures that the user (talker) should return in step 226.

If the second abuse criterion is not met, the process returns to step 224 and is again dialed back to the user. Multiple response failures will eventually meet the second criterion of the filter.

If the second abuse criterion is met (representing the presence of an abuse or suspicious condition), then a limit is imposed at step 234 and an error message is generated at step 236.

In a specific embodiment, a VoIP client can be downloaded to the computing device 10 of the web interface user. In this embodiment, the inventory manager 72 may include a software dialer of a known design to initiate a VoIP call by the web interface user via a VoIP connection 80, and the call may be connected through a node after the call. 82 is routed via interface 16 to a PSTN telephone company partner 18. Thereafter, the telephone company partner can connect the PSTN call to a telephone 20.

The caller may not be able to see the above steps for assessing the abuse criteria. Once the web interface user initiates a call by tapping the call hyperlink, the user may only hear his/her phone ringing and respond at step 226, then hear the dialed number ring and retail at step 230. The merchant should call back. Thereafter, the number is bridged and connected in step 232, and a conversation between the web interface user and the target telephone number can be made.

Inventory administrator 72 may include software to prevent keystrokes. Keystroke fraud can occur, for example, when competitors try to increase their costs by repeatedly making VoIP calls to a retailer. Alternatively, the prankster may also perform keystroke fraud, such as repeatedly dialing a child of a number, or responding to the request of step 210 of Figure 5 to present the number of the other person. The list manager 72 can handle these issues by restricting calls from a single caller.

More specifically, inventory administrator 72 may include a logic filter that enables setting of criteria for identifying suspicious or problematic talkers in steps 222 and 238. For example, Figure 6 illustrates a form of abuse that can be used to identify a call from a web interface user at step 222. This process includes a filter to track the way the web interface user makes multiple calls to the same destination phone number in a short period of time. After identifying in step 214 that the phone number of the web interface user does not belong to the blacklist, and after step 220 identifies that the target phone does not belong to a call list, in step 300 the list manager 72 can check the target in a recent period. How many calls have been made to the phone number. For example, an initial threshold level can be set to 3 calls in 3 minutes. If the level is not exceeded, then the user is called back in step 224 and the process continues.

If, on the other hand, the limit level is exceeded, two parallel paths can be processed. At step 302, the list manager 72 calculates the number of calls that the web interface user's phone number has initiated. At step 304, the list manager 72 counts the number of times the target phone number has been made.

A path below step 302 is performed, and a first type of restriction A is evaluated in step 306. For example, limit A can be set to track whether the web interface user has dialed back 3 times within 3 minutes. If the limit A is not met, the process continues and the page interface user is replied to in step 224. However, if limit A has been met, the process may also evaluate limit B at step 308. For example, limit B can be set to track whether the web interface user has dialed back 6 times within 6 minutes. If the limit B is not met, a first blackout period is applied to the phone number of the web interface user at step 310. For example, the first interrupt window can impose a 10-minute limit on the call to the phone number of the web interface user. If limit B is met, then at step 312 the process can evaluate limit C. For example, limit C can be set to track whether the web interface user has exceeded limit B four times within 24 hours. If not, a second interrupt window is applied to the phone number of the web interface user in step 314. For example, the second interrupt window can impose a 60 minute limit on the call to the phone number of the web interface user. If the limit C is met, the phone number of the web interface user is added to the blacklist in step 316.

A path below step 304 is performed, and a first type of limit D is evaluated at step 318. For example, limit D can be set to track whether the target phone number has been dialed 30 times within 3 minutes. If the limit D is not met, the process continues and the page interface user is replied to at step 224. However, if the limit D has been met, then at step 320 the process will also evaluate the limit E. For example, limit E can be set to track whether the target phone number has been dialed 50 times within 5 minutes. If the limit E is not met, then a first outage period is applied to the target phone number at step 310, such as applying a 10 minute limit for the call to connect to the target phone number. If the limit E is met, then at step 322 the process can evaluate the limit F. For example, a limit F can be set to track whether the limit E for making a target call has exceeded 4 times within 24 hours. If not, a second interrupt window is applied to the target phone number in step 314. For example, the second interrupt window can impose a 60 minute limit on the call to the target phone number. If the limit F is met, the target phone number is added to the blacklist in step 316. It should be noted that although the limitations in steps 310, 314, and 316 are the same for both parallel paths initiated by steps 302 and 304, different limits may apply for any or all of the different constraints.

Figure 7 illustrates another process that can be used to identify a form of call abuse for a web interface user. This second type of filter can track the situation in which the web interface user cannot respond to the callback of the phone number entered by the user at step 226. At step 350, the inventory manager 72 calculates the number of times the web interface user was unable to respond to the callback at step 226. In step 352, if the first limit of the setting is exceeded, a first interruption period is applied to the phone number of the web interface user in step 354. For example, the first restriction can be set to 3 unanswered calls, and the interruption period is set to 30 minutes from the third unanswered call. If the count does not exceed the preset first limit, processing continues. At step 356, a second limit calculates the number of times the first limit is exceeded during a certain period of time. For example, if a user of the same web interface is interrupted 4 times during a 24-hour period, the phone number of the web interface user can be blacklisted and permanently restricted in step 316. If the second limit is not exceeded, then no further action is taken at step 358 because a first outage period is applied to the phone number of the web interface user at step 354.

It should be easy to find that various filters can be implemented based on a variety of criteria. Although the subject matter of the patent application is described herein in the language of the invention, the scope of the claims, the scope of the claims and the scope of the claims are not necessarily limited to the specific functions or actions disclosed. On the contrary, the specific functions and actions described above are merely exemplary forms of the scope of the patent application. The scope of the invention should be defined by the scope of the accompanying claims.

10, 14. . . Arithmetic device

10a, 14a. . . Client application

10b, 14b. . . VoIP application

12. . . Internet

16. . . interface

18. . . Telephone network

20. . . phone

50. . . Web page

60. . . service provider

62. . . Web server

64. . . database

70. . . Management service

72. . . Inventory manager

84. . . Call super link

90, 90a, 90b, 90c, 90d. . . Ad list

92. . . Larger size ad

100. . . Computing environment system

110. . . computer

120. . . Processing unit

121. . . System bus

130. . . System memory

131. . . Continuous memory

132. . . Random access memory

133. . . Basic input/output system

134. . . working system

135. . . application

136. . . Other program modules

137. . . Program data

140. . . Non-removable non-volatile memory interface

141. . . Hard disk drive

144. . . working system

145. . . application

146. . . Other program modules

147. . . Program data

150. . . Removable non-volatile memory interface

151. . . Disk drive

152. . . Removable, non-volatile disk

155. . . CD player

156. . . Removable, non-volatile disc

160. . . User input interface

161. . . mouse

162. . . keyboard

170. . . Network interface

171. . . Regional network

172. . . Data machine

173. . . Wide area network

180. . . Remote computer

181. . . Memory storage device

185. . . Remote application

190. . . Video interface

191. . . Screen

195. . . Output peripheral interface

196. . . Printer

197. . . loudspeaker

Figure 1 is a block diagram illustrating a specific embodiment of a system for providing voice communication in a network.

Figure 2 is a block diagram illustrating a specific embodiment of a conventional computing system.

Figure 3 is a block diagram illustrating a more detailed embodiment of the voice communication system of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is an embodiment illustrating a web page displaying search results.

Figure 5 is a flow chart illustrating a specific embodiment of processing with one of the communication systems using a hyperlink.

Figure 6 is a flow diagram illustrating one embodiment of the processing performed by the voice communication system of Figure 3 in response to selection of a hyperlink on a web page.

Figure 7 is a flow diagram illustrating another embodiment of the processing of the speech communication system of Figure 3 in response to the selection of one of the hyperlinks on a web page.

10, 14. . . Arithmetic device

12. . . Internet

16. . . interface

18. . . Telephone network

20. . . phone

Claims (20)

A method of establishing voice communication between an computing device and a telephone, the method comprising the steps of: providing a computing device with a user interface, the user interface including one of a target telephone number associated with a retailer a link; receiving a selection from the computing device for the link, the selection identifying the target phone number associated with the retailer; receiving a user phone number associated with a user of the computing device; The at least one of the user's phone number and the target phone number evaluates the abuse criteria, and the abuse criteria include a first abuse criterion for calculating the number of times the callback of the user's phone number results in a non-response callback; In response to satisfying the first abuse criterion, the communication delivers an error message to the computing device, and if more than one blackout period is applied to the target phone number or the user's phone number during a time period, then Pre-excluding a voice connection between the target phone number and the user's phone number; and responding to the failure to meet the abuse criteria Then, the voice connection between the target telephone number and the user's telephone number is established by dialing back the user's telephone number. The method of claim 1, wherein the evaluation step package This includes evaluating these abuse criteria for two phone numbers. The method of claim 1, wherein the link is a hyperlink in a first webpage, the hyperlink is used to identify the target phone number, and the voice connection is A VoIP connection. The method of claim 1, wherein the evaluating step comprises the step of: setting a first limit to the number of times the callback step causes the user's phone number not to respond to the callback, and if the count exceeds the In the first limitation, the voice connection is pre-excluded during a first interruption period. The method of claim 4, wherein the evaluating step comprises the step of: setting a second limit to the number of times the callback step causes the user's phone number not to respond to the callback, and if the count exceeds the In a second limitation, the voice connection is pre-excluded during a second interruption period, wherein the second limit is greater than the first limit and the second interruption period is greater than the first interruption period. The method of claim 5, wherein the evaluating step comprises the step of: indefinitely pre-arranging if more than one first interruption period has been applied to the user's telephone number at least twice within 24 hours Exclude the voice connection. The method of claim 1, wherein the abuse criterion comprises a second abuse criterion, the second abuse criterion being used to calculate a number of times the target telephone number has been dialed. The method of claim 7, wherein the evaluating step comprises the step of: setting a first limit on the number of times the target telephone number can be dialed in a first period, and if the count is in the first period Exceeding the first limit, the voice connection is pre-excluded during a first interruption period. The method of claim 8, wherein the evaluating step comprises the step of: setting a second limit on the number of times the target telephone number can be dialed in a second period, and if the count is in the second If the second limit is exceeded during the period, the voice connection is pre-excluded during a second interruption period. The method of claim 9, wherein the evaluating step comprises the step of pre-excluding indefinitely if at least two second interruption periods have been applied to the target telephone number at least twice within 24 hours. The voice is connected. The method of claim 7, wherein the evaluating step comprises the step of: communicating an error message to the computing device in response to satisfying the second abuse criterion, and if there is more than one interruption in a time period Time being applied Adding to the target phone number, pre-excluding the voice connection between the target phone number and the user phone number; and responding to the second abuse criterion, calling back the user phone number, and if The user should return the callback, and the voice connection between the target phone number and the user's phone number is established. The method of claim 1, wherein the evaluating step comprises the step of: setting a first limit on the number of times the callback causes the user phone number not to respond to the callback, and if the count exceeds the first Limiting, the voice connection is pre-excluded in a first interruption period, and wherein the evaluating step further comprises the step of: setting a second limit on the number of times the target telephone number can be dialed in a first period, and if The count exceeds the second limit during the first period, and the voice connection is pre-excluded during a second interruption period. A method of establishing voice communication between a first communication device and a second communication device over a network, the method comprising the steps of: receiving a selection for a link from the first communication device, the selection identifying The second communication device is associated with a second telephone number, the second communication device is associated with a retailer; receiving a first telephone number associated with the first communication device; the first telephone number and the second telephone Numbers establish abuse criteria, which include a first abuse criterion, which is used to calculate Counting the number of times the first telephone number is returned without responding to the callback; in response to satisfying the first abuse criterion, the communication delivers an error message to the first communication device, and if there is more than one interruption during a time period (blackout a period of time being applied to the first telephone number or the second telephone number, precluding a voice connection between the first communication device and the second communication device; and responding to the failure to satisfy the first abuse criterion And establishing the voice connection between the first communication device and the second communication device by calling back the first phone number. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of establishing an abuse criterion defines a second abuse criterion for calculating the number of times the second telephone number has been dialed during a period. The method of claim 14, wherein the establishing step comprises the step of: in response to satisfying the second abuse criterion, if at least one interruption period is applied to the second telephone number during a time period, Pre-excluding the voice connection between the first communication device and the second communication device; and in response to not meeting the second abuse criterion, dialing back the first phone number, and if the call back the first phone number The voice connection between the first communication device and the second communication device is established as soon as the response is dialed. A method of establishing voice communication between a first telephone number and a second telephone number, the method comprising the steps of: receiving a request from a VoIP device to connect the first telephone number to the second telephone number; An abuse criterion is evaluated for at least one of the first phone number and the second phone number, the abuse criteria including a first abuse criterion for calculating a callback of the first phone number resulting in a non-response callback The number of times; in response to satisfying the first abuse criterion, if more than one blackout period is applied to the first phone number or the second phone number during a time period, the first phone number is pre-excluded a voice connection with the second telephone number; and in response to the first abuse criterion not being met, the first telephone number is wired to the second telephone number by dialing back the first telephone number. The method of claim 16, wherein the method further comprises the step of: precluding the connection of the first telephone number to the second telephone number in an interruption period if the first abuse criterion is met . The method of claim 16, wherein the step of evaluating the abuse criterion defines a second abuse criterion that counts the number of times the second telephone number has been dialed during a period. The method of claim 18, wherein the method further comprises the step of precluding the connection of the first telephone number to the second telephone number in an interruption period if the second abuse criterion is met. The method of claim 19, wherein the evaluating step comprises the step of: in response to satisfying the second abuse criterion, if more than one interruption period is applied to the second telephone number during a time period, And pre-excluding the voice connection between the first phone number and the second phone number; and in response to not meeting the second abuse criterion, dialing the first phone number, and if the call back the first phone number The number causes the voice connection between the first telephone number and the second telephone number to be established upon response to dialing.